Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque insisted that the government is not using the issues hounding Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to divert the public’s attention from the rice shortage in some areas in Mindanao and the ever increasing prices of commodities.
Roque even said that it was Trillanes who is using the country’s inflation woes as a “political issue” against the Duterte administration.
“We don’t see kung ano iyong koneksiyon doon sa bigas kay Trillanes; itong kay Trillanes po, gumawa siya ng krimen, tatlong beses. At kung hindi niya mapapa tunayan na ligal nga iyong amnesty niya, eh kinakailangan niyang pagbayaran iyong kaniyang nagawa ‘no (We do not see the connection between the rice crisis and Trillanes. He has committed crime three times. If he cannot prove that the amnesty granted to him is not legal, he needs to pay for his crimes),” Roque said in an interview over DZMM on Saturday night.
The Palace official noted that the increase in prices of fuel products triggered the inflation, which reached a new nine-year high of 6.4 percent in August.
READ: Inflation hits new 9-year high of 6.4% in August
“Unang una kaya naman tumaas lang talaga ang mga bilihin sa atin dahil iyong pagtaas ng krudo. Talaga naman pong halos nadoble ang pagtaas ng krudo, kontrolado ba natin iyan, hindi (First, the increase in prices of basic commodities is due to the rise in crude oil prices, which almost doubled. We have no control over that),” he said.
Roque added that the ongoing trade war between China and the US also contributed to the inflation, stressing that the issue has nothing to do with the embattled senator.
“…nagagamit tuloy ni Trillanes bilang political issue ‘no, pero wala po talagang relasyon iyang dalawang iyan ‘no. In fact, nagsimula na iyong problema sa inflation bago pa siguro lumabas itong isyu ng Trillanes (Trillanes is using this as a political issue, but it really has nothing to do with him. The problem has begun even before his own problems started),” Roque noted.
Trillanes, one of Duterte’s staunchest critics, told the President to focus on solving the major problems of the country, foremost of which is the rising cost of living, than persecuting his critics.
READ: Duterte revokes Trillanes amnesty, orders his arrest